A few months ago, we partnered with Serge East Africa Media (SEAM) to produce a video that concisely shares the vision and the work happening at Kibuye Hope Hospital. Please enjoy!
Out of Quarantine -- On the Road
Out of Quarantine!
We are so thankful to report that we finished our time of quarantine with no symptoms, and we are all doing well. This period has been a special time of rest and recuperation at Julie’s aunt’s house in Florida. We are all adjusting back to life in the United States.
We continue to realize that our children have a unique life growing up in Africa, especially at times like when our 9-year-old, Zeke, didn’t understand how to open a can of soda because he had never done it before. But he knows his way around a glass bottle! (In Burundi, Coke and Fanta come in glass bottles that we must return.)
Soda in America vs. Soda in Burundi
Housing Need
We will soon be heading back to Springfield, Missouri, which will be our base for the next 8 months or so while we are on Home Assignment. Because of COVID-19, our initial plans for housing are no longer feasible. We need to find a “home” for the next 8 months, and are praying and trusting that God will open a door for us to stay in a house or apartment in the Springfield area. If you, or someone you know, have an extra property or know of a housing opportunity, we would love to hear from you. We are hoping to move in by June 1st.
News from Burundi
ELECTIONS
Despite the pandemic, Burundi is in the middle of a national election campaign season. Historically, this can be a time of increased political tension in the country. Right now, things are moving forward, and without concerns about social distancing (see photo). Burundi has registered only 19 cases of COVID-19, which puts them in the bottom five of African countries. But with limited testing capabilities, cases may be going undiagnosed. At the hospital, they are continuing to prepare and have built a triage tent outside the ER to screen patients for COVID symptoms. My colleagues tell me that they haven’t seen a dramatic uptick in patients yet. Please join me in praying that the hospital and community continues to be protected from this virus, and that the election season will continue without violence.
GRADUATION
Since arriving in Burundi in 2016, we’ve seen 173 med students graduate from Hope Africa University, but recently we had a very special graduation at Kibuye. The first five interns have just finished the 12-month “Stage Professionnel” internship program at Kibuye Hope Hospital. This program is modeled after a traditional rotating internship, and is the first of its kind in Burundi. They started last May and have had a great year of growth — personally, professionally, and spiritually. For me, it’s been refreshing to be a part of post-graduate education again, as I spent many hours working with the interns, especially on the concept of Evidence-Based Medicine. It’s been great to see them grow in their spiritual walk as well, as Julie and I hosted a book study in our home every week. We have read “The Gospel-Centered Life,” “Crazy Love,” and “Promises in the Dark.” It’s been an honor to serve as the Director of Medical Education at the hospital, and I plan on continuing to assist with this role as much as I can even though we are back in the States. I’m so proud of their hard work and the care they provided to our patients. Read more about the program on our team blog here.
(L-R) Drs. Olivier, Christiane, Emmy-Prince, Moïse, and Cesarine, the first five graduates of the "Stage Professionnel" at Kibuye Hope Hospital
End of Our First Term
This summer marks the end of our first 5-year term with Serge. As we reflect back on this first term, we have been blown away by all that we have experienced in these five years. We can look back on wins and losses, successes and defeats, dreams realized and dreams shattered, proud moments, embarrassing moments, times of peace and contentment, and times of frustration and loss. New countries, new languages, new friends. And a new normal.
We can look back on God’s miraculous provision, as He helped us raise support and get to language school quickly in 2015. We see how through the Church, through people like you, God has accomplished so much at Kibuye. From “big” things, like building our house, or installing a solar field for the hospital, to the seemingly “little” things, like helping a struggling patient buy their medicine, supporting a child in the feeding program, or helping with school tuition for a local friend or neighbor, we realize that we have simply been a conduit for God’s blessings to flow from one person to another. And in the end, it is hard to know who was more blessed, the giver or the receiver.
But in all these moments, in our successes and our defeats, God was walking with us, and He has shown us time and time again that He is faithful.
By The Numbers
Since we arrived at Kibuye in 2016, we have witnessed:
12 major construction projects completed
42% increase in hospitalizations at Kibuye Hope Hospital
173 medical school graduates from Hope Africa University
5 new graduates from the "Stage Professionnel" internship program
12 interns currently in the program
Support Need
During these five years, we have seen God care for us in unbelievable ways, rescuing us in a time of need, showing us that He loves us and will always provide for us. We have seen our faith grown and stretched in amazing and often uncomfortable ways. We want to say a big thank you to our monthly support team because it is through your faithful giving that we have been able to witness these miracles, that you are a part of.
We also want to say thank you if you gave in response to our last email. God provided, through your gracious giving, more than double our shortfall for last month. However, due to some changes in our donor base, we realize that we need to increase our monthly support base. If you have supported us in prayer, but have never given financially to our ministry, or have made a one-time gift, we would love the chance to talk to you about becoming a part of our monthly support team. We will be back in the US for about 8 months, and hope to raise enough monthly support that we will be given the “green light” to return to Burundi in 2021.
Praise Reports:
Our quarantine is finished and we are all doing well, and we have had wonderful in Florida as a family
After our request for financial help last month, many of you answered and helped meet that shortfall and we are so thankful
The first doctors graduated from the professional internship at Kibuye Hope Hospital
Reports from colleagues back at Kibuye are that they have not yet seen an uptick in COVID-like illness
Prayer Requests:
For safety as we drive back to Missouri this week
For good reunions with family, friends, and supporters during this 8-month Home Assignment
For continued good health during this season of coronavirus
That God would lead us to the right home or apartment for our family
That God would raise up supporters to join our team and help us return to Burundi in 2021
That the elections in Burundi would take place peacefully, and that COVID-19 would spare this country
COVID-19 Pandemic Update
Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.
Psalm 20:7
COVID-19 Pandemic Update
Our family, along with Kayla Hedin, the boys' teacher, flying out of Burundi a few days ago.
No matter where you are in the world, we are all finding ourselves living in tumultuous times right now.
Even before COVID-19 turned our world upside down, our missionary community in Kibuye was rocked by a violent robbery in February. Our friends and neighbors, the Watts, were the target of armed robbers who broke into our walled compound. The dad was stabbed in the thigh, beaten/choked to the point of unconsciousness all while his wife and two other women were tied up watching (the kids were also in the house). He was targeted because they incorrectly assumed he would have a lot of money in his house. While we weren’t involved in the incident, our entire community is dealing with the traumatic effects of this happening inside our seemingly idyllic compound. We have taken measures to increase security, and we are all still healing from this event. Read more on our team blog here.
We have been wanting to send out an update for a few weeks now to let you know about what is going on in our lives, and to ask you for prayer. But the situation has been so dynamic it was hard to figure out what to say because the next day it seemed to change.
Today we are on the other side of hectic travel arrangements, hurried packing, and multiple cancelled flights. Praise the Lord we can finally report that we are all safe, healthy, and we have just arrived at Julie’s aunt’s house in Florida to quarantine for the next 14 days.
But it was not easy getting here.
Initially, we were planning on finishing the boys’ school year at Kibuye, attending Serge’s company wide conference in Spain at the end of May, and then coming back to the United States after that to start our Home Ministry Assignment for 7 months.
Then COVID-19 happened and the world’s plans changed.
The Serge conference was cancelled, so our “jumping-off point” disappeared.
As a preventative measure, Burundi quickly closed the airport and canceled all visas and arrivals. At the same time, the US government sent out multiple calls to US citizens abroad to return to America, or be prepared to stay abroad for an indefinite period of time.
Given this warning, we were forced to ask ourselves: Are we ready to hunker down for an unknown period of time and stay in Burundi - come what may?
Pandemic or not — Serge recommends that their workers spend 12 months out of each 5 year term back in the United States to connect with supporters, family, and for a time of rest and renewal, to recharge the batteries to hopefully continue with another 5 year term.
We realized that if we were actually adhering to Serge’s recommendation to spend 12 months out of 5 years back in the States, then we should have gone on Home Assignment last December. We recognized that we were in desperate need for rest and renewal.
Julie is also in the "high risk" category due to severe asthma, and if she were to develop COVID-19, it could be serious. Kibuye doesn't have an ICU or the facilities to really care for her if that were the case.
We decided it was time to return to the United States. But how? We couldn’t fly out of Burundi due to the airport closure. We couldn’t drive out because we would be at risk of being quarantined in the DRC, Tanzania or Rwanda. We needed help.
We could write a saga of our journey just trying to leave Burundi, but we will save that for another time! It was three weeks of communication with multiple US Embassies, multiple travel agencies, multiple consulates (Italian, Japanese, and Belgian), leading to multiple flights booked, hopes raised, flights canceled, hopes dashed. We were even emailing with a US Senator. We tried everything we could think of! Covered in lots of prayer.
In the end, we were able to reserve four seats on a special flight organized by the Italian government. We flew from Bujumbura to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with stops in Kigali, Rwanda and Entebbe, Uganda. The flight was packed! From Addis we flew to Washington, DC, stopping in Dublin, Ireland. We overnighted in DC, and finally flew from DC to Orlando, Florida, where we rented a car and drove to Julie’s aunt’s property in central Florida. It was a 76-hour journey!
Our family after clearing customs, and thankful to be back on U.S. soil.
(Smiles aren't visible underneath the masks - but we are happy!)
There is so much more to the story! Hopefully one day soon we can connect with many of you in person, and we can share more details. If you are interested, email us with your questions, but for now, here are a few FAQ’s we have gotten and are happy to answer:
Can Burundi test for COVID-19?
Yes, but only recently. There is one government lab that can run the test. Our hospital at Kibuye can not test for the virus, and I don't expect that it will ever be able to.
How has COVID-19 affected Burundi?
Burundi was one of the final countries in the world to officially diagnose a case of coronavirus. To date, Burundi has officially diagnosed 5 cases, and one death.
What is life like now for citizens in Burundi?
Daily life has not changed much in Burundi, except for added hand washing stations outside gathering places. Churches, schools, businesses, and social events are still continuing. ESPN even reported that Burundi was the last country in the world to continue professional sports.
What measures is Burundi taking to prevent COVID-19?
The biggest prevention measure has been closed borders. No one enters the country by plane. Land borders may be crossed at certain locations, but most travelers are subject to a 2 week quarantine in an empty school building, hotel, or other facility provided by the government. They encourage citizens to not shake hands anymore and to wash hands more frequently. However, they are not cancelling events, and are forbidding churches, schools, and other establishments from cancelling events until the government gives an order to do so.
Have you personally seen COVID-19?
We think so, but there is no way to confirm. Several weeks ago, we had a concern that some of our teammates might have been exposed to a potential case of COVID-19. We took action immediately, and as team doctor, Logan had to develop quarantine/isolation protocols, and social distancing parameters that would help provide a level of protection to our community while also being something that we could all adhere to. We had no way of testing the person who had been potentially infected (the person is a friend of our team’s that lives in Bujumbura). Everyone involved, and the ones with symptoms are completely well now, praise the Lord!
What are you doing about the boys' schooling?
Kibuye Hope Academy is small enough that we were able to continue with Core subjects in a modified/social distanced way. The kids’ desks were spaced 6ft apart for classes inside the school building, but many classes were moved outdoors and each family brought a blanket to work on. Now that we are in the States, we will do our best to continue their curriculum as homeschool. Zoom calls are tricky connecting with Africa, but we will be emailing and texting the boys’ teachers who are on multiple continents.
Liam and Zeke participate in a social distancing classroom at Kibuye Hope Academy.
We hope to connect with many friends and family while we are in the States. We would love to hear how you are doing in this uneasy time. Please email us, give us your update and prayer requests and ask us any questions you want!
Prayer Requests:
For our physical health. We just traveled through multiple international airports in order to return to the US, which put us at risk of being exposed to coronavirus. We pray that we will not get sick during our two-week quarantine. Julie has severe asthma which was one of the reasons we felt like we needed to leave Burundi during this time.
For our spiritual health. Like much of the world, we are living in uncertain times. There is a temptation to feel anxiety about this loss of control. May we trust in God as our sole provider. We pray for rest and renewal during this time of isolation. We pray for good opportunities to reconnect with friends and loved ones.
For our financial health. This month, for the first time since we deployed, we came in underfunded in our ministry account. If you are currently supporting us, would you consider increasing your support? If you aren’t supporting us financially right now, would you consider starting? You can give to our Serge ministry account here (or the link below), and we pray that you are blessed abundantly in your generosity.
For our team and the work that is continuing at Kibuye Hope Hospital. When COVID-19 does sweep through Burundi, it will be difficult to treat the patients with no ICU, no ventilators, and the limited oxygen supply we have at the hospital.
For the country of Burundi. We pray that this crisis would minimally affect this country that we call home. We pray for the leadership in the government, for peace and stability during this time, especially with national elections planned next month.
I (Logan) have found a lot of encouragement recently from the lyrics “A Mighty Fortress is Our God” written by Martin Luther during an epidemic of the Black Plague in 1527.
A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing;
Our helper He, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing:
For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe;
His craft and power are great, and armed with cruel hate,
On earth is not his equal.
If we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing,
Were not the right Man on our side, the Man of God’s own choosing:
You ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He;
Lord Sabaoth, His Name, from age to age the same,
And He must win the battle.
And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us;
The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure,
One little word shall fell him.
That word above all earthly pow’rs, no thanks to them, abideth;
The Spirit and the gifts are ours through Him who with us sideth;
Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also;
The body they may kill: God’s truth abideth still,
His kingdom is forever.
Be encouraged by this amazing acoustic version of the song, performed by the group Heartsong, from Cedarville University
Thankful for a New House!
At long last… our house is finished and we have moved in! We are just bouncing off the walls rejoicing. We have been getting settled for the past couple of weeks.
As we sit in our new house now, we reflect back on how it all began. Preparing to head to Burundi in 2015, we began wrapping up our lives in Missouri and planning for our future in Africa. I admit I (Julie) was quite overwhelmed with the thought of having to not only part with most of what we had, but also decide what I think we might need in the next 5-10 years.
If you’ve ever moved, you know it involves many runs to the store (Target, Home Depot, etc) to grab whatever it is you need for that day’s project. Imagine having to think 3 years ahead of your move and trying to be prepared to completely set up a house without any store to run to! That’s right, even Wal-Mart hasn’t quite made it to Burundi yet!
Can you spot Zeke? circa 2015
Knowing full well my strengths and weaknesses, I called on a few key friends who are whizzes at organization and we began going through my house, item by item, giving it a “yes” it’s going to Africa or a “no”. We packed all the “yes” items in bubble wrap, hand towels, fabric scraps – anything cushiony – and put them in wooden shipping crates. Cup by cup, plate by plate, we packed for days. And then we had to think ahead and purchase things like bug-proof mattress covers, clothes for the kids in sizes for years to come, future Christmas presents, tools, nails and screws… Really anything you think you might use in any part of your house for the next 5 years! These items, plus couches, mattresses and a few chairs were packed into our portion of a shipping container. The container sat in Texas in 2015 while we studied in France, then it made the long journey across the Atlantic Ocean, the Horn of Africa, on land across Tanzania, and finally to Kibuye. Without cranes or tools to unload it, our local workers relied on teamwork, rhythmic chanting, and a lot of manpower to unload it.
When we arrived in Burundi in the fall of 2016, there was a national hold on all construction work, so it became clear that it would be a while before we could start building our house. We unpacked a few keys things from some of the crates, and settled into one of four adjoined apartments in our compound. Then we broke ground in the fall of 2017 with prayer, excitement, and a little nervousness on my part.
The months passed with anywhere from 50-200 local workers each doing their part on a given day. Without backhoes, cement trucks, or any other major machinery, these men built the house from ground up completely by hand. Because termites are an issue in Burundi, houses are made of brick, cement, and steel. No wood frames or dry wall. Likewise the floors are not hardwood or carpet, but rather concrete or tile.
Logan and I have never built a house before, so we felt completely out of our comfort zone. We couldn’t have done it without the help from our team’s long-term missionary engineer, Caleb Fader, with whom we met every week. He guided us through the entire process, step-by-step through both the big and small decisions. We can’t say enough how thankful we are for his expertise during hundreds of decisions, but even more so for his patience and guidance as we fumbled our way through this process.
Building a house in Burundi is simultaneously simpler, and more complicated, than building a house in North America. It’s complicated because water heaters, metal for the roof, and other large necessary items have to be imported from Kenya, Egypt, or Tanzania. But some things are more simple because we have fewer resources. Choices like “what do you want your door handles to look like?” are very easy because there is basically only one option! Choosing a kitchen sink was easy because there were only two options available! The same with toilets or bathtubs... is it Toilet A or Toilet B?… Done! Easy!
Purchasing tile was a little more complicated. In the states, you go to Home Depot where they have sample tiles you choose from and then they can order however much you need! But here in Burundi, the shops don’t get to choose their stock. From what I understand tiles are just brought in on trucks from other surrounding countries and that becomes what they sell! So, we went to one of the largest stores and ended up in their warehouse to see first hand what our options were. Given the square meters we needed, that narrowed our selection down quite a bit! But, I took a deep breath and we made a choice! The supply was almost perfect, but we realized we were a little short after the job was almost finished. So I returned to the capital city and searched every little shop trying to find a match for the tile I had chosen months earlier. No luck. I couldn’t find a match, so I chose a completely different pattern which now it accents the other flooring. C’est la vie!
One of the most difficult things for me was designing and drawing the plans for our kitchen cabinets. Don’t get me wrong, I loved looking at pictures of kitchens on Pinterest, but deciding what we want and then measuring to the millimeter and trying to draw it out to scale was way out of my range of skills that God gave me! We hired a local carpenter to build for us, but keep in mind that a traditional Burundian kitchen looks nothing like a traditional Western kitchen so he is working outside of his comfort zone as well!
All the furniture stacked in our living room ready to be put in its right place!
So now everything is built, and we are almost completely moved in! I’m having fun decorating with what I brought with me from our old house in Missouri, as well as what I’m finding here. For side tables in our living room, we are repurposing a eucalyptus tree that was cut down during construction and our mantle is a piece of another tree that came from another part of the compound years ago.
Because our house was built on a hill, that made two things possible: 1. We have an amazing view of the beautiful Burundian countryside. 2. We were able to incorporate a guest apartment below our house. I’m so excited about it! It is a 2-bedroom space with a separate entrance, bathroom and kitchen. It’s also a bonus spot for team gatherings such as Thanksgiving! I look forward to hosting not only our own team and Burundian community, but also visitors from the US or other missionaries in Burundi looking for a quiet place to relax.
When the construction was complete, we were able to celebrate with all the people that had a part in building our house. All the construction workers were there, we roasted a big cow and had a celebratory feast! We were also able to bless the workers with a new hat, which they loved, donated from team supporters in Michigan.
We pray that our house, and all the missionary homes, are places of peace, love, and joy to all who enter. Thank you to our supporters who have helped build this house for our family and for those around us. Now come on over and sit with us to enjoy the view and a cup of Burundian coffee…
Back in the USA!
Christmas at KibuyeThis was our first Christmas in Kibuye, Burundi. It was simple, yet full. We started a new tradition, inspired by a friend, in which we spent our Christmas Eve dressed as shepherds, eating shepherds pie, and enjoying the beautiful African star-filled sky. Logan read the Christmas story and we imagined we were just like the shepherds who were the first ones to receive the news that the Christ child was born. We had pre-packed a few Christmas presents on the shipping container for the boys to open – including two bicycles! But I think their favorite present was from one of their new friends who gave them Sally the chameleon. We also had some ministry opportunities in our community. The Wednesday before Christmas I had the opportunity to speak at morning chapel for the medical students, nursing students, and other hospital staff. I spoke about the glorious light that surrounded the angels bringing the good news to the shepherds and the star that lead the Magi to Jesus. I reminded them that the Bible calls us to be a light to the world (Matthew 5:14-16). Not to be perfect, just to shine the light that leads people to Jesus. I spoke in French just from an outline, which is different from other times where I have had a pre-written and memorized talk prepared. I praise God my language skills are improving and hope to continue to have opportunities to speak again. The Kibuye Christmas church service is always a big deal, but especially if Christmas falls on a Sunday like it did this year. Several groups – children and adults – form choirs and rehearse for weeks the songs they will sing, complete with typical African movement. The church asks that the Bazungu (white people) also join in and do a performance. So, I arranged a small Christmas Pageant to present to the church. Every part was played by one of the children on our team while the adults provided the chorale. With no Hobby Lobby or Walmart to help us with costumes or props, we had to get creative! Our dancing angels wore their daddy’s white tee-shirt and wings made from cereal boxes and toilet paper. The star of Bethlehem was propped up on a local bamboo stick. Our 12-year-old narrator told the story in French while our language teacher translated into Kirundi. We sang three songs throughout the play in English, French and Kirundi. Liam played Joseph and Zeke was one of the Magi along with his two kindergarten buddies. The kids did a great job and the Burundians loved it! Christmas afternoon a group of us caroled at the hospital and gave out small gifts like soap, blankets, baby hats and dolls and toy cars for the children. This activity was surprisingly arresting for me. I do not spend much, if any, time in the wards. Crowding in between beds filled with many times more than one patient per bed. Children with severe malnutrition, babies born before their due date, emaciated men with callused and dirty feet, women recovering from surgery… the list goes on and on. I found it hard to breathe and difficult to hold back tears. We shook their hands and said “Noeli Nziza” (Merry Christmas) many times. The kids enjoyed handing out gifts and the patients loved seeing the children. Zeke especially drew some attention with his cute yellow curls and readiness to sing. One mama came and just scooped him up into her arms! After the boys and I returned home from the hospital I burst into tears and just cried out to God until I fell asleep. Why is there so much pain, hunger and hurting? What can we do? I felt so helpless. We all want suffering to end, but all the hurting in this broken world will not be completely healed until Jesus Christ returns. But in the mean time, He has gifted each of us differently to do our part to love his people all over the world. There is always something we can do to show people His love. It’s truly amazing to see what God is doing through these Serge doctors here at Kibuye Hope Hospital. After one surgery the blind are seeing. Babies who normally would have died are saved by a c-section delivery. Malnourished children are being fed. Bones are being reset so that men may walk and work again. We are literally witnessing the blind being made to see, the lame made to walk. Please pray for our doctors here who are face to face with the extremely poor, sick and dying all day everyday. Pray for the work they are doing for these patients. Pray that their efforts would be multiplied in the years to come through the students they are teaching. And pray that we would not carry the burden to try and fix every problem that we would all simply would be a Light in the darkness – leading those we come in contact with to Jesus. Happy Holidays!!We hope this update finds you well and enjoying the holiday season!We are so thankful for family and friends who have sent some of our first care packages here to Burundi. Many people have asked for our address. If you would like to send a package (or a Christmas card – we would love to hear from you!) here is our address:Dr. Logan BANKSc/o Hôpital Espoir de KibuyeB.P. 73, GitegaBurundiEast AfricaBoxes may be stopped in Bujumbura (3 hours away) and steep tariffs at times have to be paid, but the large bubble mailers generally seem to make it all the way to Kibuye. I wish we could share some pictures with you. I have been trying for days to add some to this update and the internet is just too slow right now. Please pray for our internet to improve and for us to have patience as we deal with the situation. I'll try to upload more to Instagram and Facebook, that seems to work a little better."Jewe ndagenda ku'bitaro kuvura abagwayi." We have been intensely studying Kirundi for the past couple months, and while we are no where near fluent, it is encouraging to be able to have small conversations with some of our neighbors. They are quick to laugh when we speak, but they are very gracious and also help us improve our grammar or pronunciation. I have been told that it is also encouraging to them that we care enough to learn their language, which is why we are taking the time to do it. Pray that as we slow down our study time, what we have learned will stick, and that we will find time to continue to work on improving our Kirundi.We are doing well as a family, we have settled into the rhythm of life here. Logan has started transitioning more into hospital work and teaching, and will be active full-time by the end of the month. We recently said goodbye to a group of medical students, and there is also a new group of students that have just started. They have been to Kibuye before but this is the first time Logan has gotten to work with them. Please pray he will get to know them quickly, be able to teach them well, and also be a spiritual encouragement to them.This season, we are learning a lot about appreciating things we often take for granted – for example, power and water. Water is pumped out of a spring up to the top of the hill to a large tank. If the power is out, or if the water table is low, there may be no water. In fact, we have been on “water-conservation measures” ever since we arrived, which means intermittent (and quick) showers, no wasting water, judicious flushing (yes it comes to that!) in an effort to conserve every bit of water that we have.We recently went through a 4-day stretch with no running water after the water pump broke! This was a difficult time, but I believe ultimately it was a blessing. We were able to more fully understand how our Burundian neighbors live day to day, and through it all we had “enough” – maybe not as much as we would have liked, but enough. God brought several good rainstorms during this time and we were able to collect water outside in large buckets.Christmas came early to Kibuye!When we packed our things in crates and put them in a container in Texas in the Spring of 2015 we were hopeful, but prepared that if something happened we might not see any of that stuff again. That was a year and a half ago! Although it took a while, we were finally able to get into the boxes recently, and it felt like an early Christmas! It’s funny how even something small, like a blanket, can invoke warm feelings and special memories of "home". We also unpacked our Christmas decorations from our crates and put up our tree and are now enjoying Christmas carols on the iPod, albeit in 80-degree weather.We hope your holiday season is filled with love, peace and joy!Merry Christmas!From The Banks’First Update from Burundi!My First Medical Emergency in FrenchLogan's Message at Language School |
